Lies We Live By : Defeating Doubletalk and Deception in Advertising, Politics, and the Media [Hardcover]

Carl Hausman (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415922801 | ISBN-13: 978-0415922807 | Publication Date: November 1999 | Edition: 1

It's a sad truth that lies are becoming a part of everyday life. From 'pre-approved' credit card mailings to college admission claims to presidential press conferences, the American public is being 'spun', deceived and misinformed at a dizzying rate and on a daily basis. Why is this? And what can we do about it? In this lively but serious examination of the way lies are becoming all pervasive, media expert Carl Hausman takes a hard look at the business of deception, an industry that is growing at an alarming rate. Uncovering the roots of misinformation in American business and politics, he reveals the way words, numbers and images are intentionally distorted for public consumption by some of the country's major industries - including tobacco companies, airlines, financial institutions, public relations firms and even medical practices and universities - and offers outrageous examples of some of the more egregious assaults on the public trust. Showing readers how to spot potentially false claims, he offers advice about what we can do to stop them, with an annotated list of publications, individuals and organizations dedicated to preventing the spread of misleading information. Whether in paragraph-length footnotes, microscopic print or tortured statistics, the amount of propaganda being passed off as fact is both alarming and dangerous. Lies We Live By shows what to look for behind the double talk, but most importantly it offers ways to fight back.

Editorial Reviews

Review

For those interested in honing their talents while also seeing through the other person's/organization's deception, Hausman does an excellent job of explaining how deception works and at times why it is practiced. While he writes in a very readable fashion, he also has a lot of substance in his work. Public Relations Quarterly.
Hausman explores misleading ads, how colleges massage numbers to attract students, scams credit card companies pull with small print, and more. Hausman's guidelines for being a better information consumer are words we all can live by.....
–Toronto Star

Carl Hausman has provided a useful, pretty comprehensive guide to the way we lie now....It is a book that should be put into the hands of every young person taking his or her first steps into what might be called the adult world.
–New York Observer, 01/17/00

...his list of deceptive tactics is insightful and interesting, and his jocular style makes it a fun read as well..
–National Journal, August 2001

About the Author

Carl Hausman is a journalist and educator who has written and published widely on the topic of media ethics, including nineteen books. He is an associate professor of writing at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey, and an adjunct professor of journalism at New York University. A former television talk show host, he frequently lectures on mass media issues.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 229 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (November 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415922801
• ISBN-13: 978-0415922807
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,456,789 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An eye-opener...and a good read, January 6, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Lies We Live By : Defeating Doubletalk and Deception in Advertising, Politics, and the Media (Hardcover)

I saw the author (Housman) interviewed on Fox TV and he made a lot of sense about statistics, polls, and misleading ads. I bought the book and wasn't disappointed. It should be the Bible for anyone who wants to understand information in the information explosioin.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Shockingly Obvious, April 18, 2002

By 

doomsdayer520 (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Lies We Live By : Defeating Doubletalk and Deception in Advertising, Politics, and the Media (Hardcover)

This is a pretty useful book that gives you pointers on decoding the lies, mindgames, and doublespeak from all kinds of areas. This includes advertising, politics, media, and even car sales. That is, areas known to be populated by charlatans, influence peddlers, and con artists. Hausman's observations on these trends and especially his specific examples of chicanery in each of those areas are quite eye-opening and entertaining. But it's not exactly shocking that car salesmen and advertisers are trying to rip you off, or that politicians bend the truth in their campaign advertising. Most of us already have that figured out, and there's not much need for Hausman to introduce these problems as if we just crawled out from under a rock and should be totally shocked. Also, his occasional lapses into brutal sarcasm can be funny but tend to make him guilty of some of the behavior he's criticizing. Alas, it's hard to write a book like this, which is a media-driven exercise, and keep yourself totally detached from the bad side of media behavior that you're describing. Hausman does know this however, and instead of simply complaining then leaving you up in the air like other writers on this subject, he actually comes up with some useful solutions to the problem. The only true weakness of this book though, is that Hausman sees lies and doublespeak EVERYWHERE. If that's the case, then there's not really much reason for hope, is there? There's no need to be as pessimistic as him. Also beware of this book's low production values (at least in paperback), with illustrations that look like they came from fifth-generation copies off an extremely ancient copy machine.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Please, Read this book!, September 6, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Lies We Live By : Defeating Doubletalk and Deception in Advertising, Politics, and the Media (Hardcover)

Great explanation about how the media pulls the wool over the public's eyes. Hausman breaks down the various tricks used in a way that will make you wonder how you hadn't noticed them before. One of my pet-peeves is how "news" is portrayed on television and the fact that many many people are not aware of how they are being manipulated - hence, my request for others to read this book.